Is the Entertainment Fading? The Fall of the Goal Scoring
One of the biggest stories of the Premier League season so far has been the decline of scoring in open play and how sides are netting more from set-plays as an alternative.
Looking at how goals have been scored to the first 11 games last season, we see a drop of 39 goals in open-play and 26 more from set-plays and spot-kicks, resulting in 13 less in total.
Examining the broader view, the number of shots clubs are making have seen a remarkable drop of 370 in open play than at this stage last season.
Even with the significant rise in set-play finishes, there have actually been only two additional shots generated from them outside of penalties, demonstrating the efficiency clubs are at devising strategies to convert from dead-ball situations.
Scoring Rates Reveal a Story
The 301 goals notched in 110 games so far works out at 2.74 scores per fixture, if this persists for all 38 games might be the lowest for half a decade, from five seasons ago (2.69).
But just 196 scores scored in open-play translates to 1.78 per game and is tracking to be the smallest for since 2009-10, back in 2009-10 (1.76 per game).
That campaign also marks the unique EPL campaign to experience goals scored at a higher rate from non-penalty set-pieces than this campaign's frequency of 0.77 each match (0.79).
Which Teams Are Most Responsible?
Regarding goals scored from open play, Wolverhampton Wanderers have recorded the most significant decline, scoring a mere four in 11 games, 10 less than this point the previous campaign.
Outside of Wolves, the Premier League's fall in goals from open play is predominantly a London phenomenon, with five of the capital's seven sides scoring at least five fewer goals from open-play than last season.
Honestly, this is mainly because their scoring lots of goals at the beginning of last season instead of them having difficulty to find the net in open-play the current term.
Conversely Manchester City have recorded the most significant jump, with nearly all of the 23 they've scored to date originating in open play.
Set-Piece Success
Comparing newly promoted sides with the relegated sides they took the place of. Play-off winners Sunderland have scored three extra scores in open play than the Saints managed in matchday 11 leading to demotion the previous campaign.
When it comes to scoring from dead-ball situations (aside from spot-kicks), Arsenal and Chelsea have recorded the most significant jump, with the two clubs replacing the five less goals that they've netted in open-play with identical figures from dead-ball chances.
United have netted two times more scores from set-pieces as they achieved in the 11 games the previous campaign prior to Ruben Amorim took charge, while Sunderland again have been more effective at netting than the similar-colored team they superseded.
Manchester City appear not to have received the memo about netting additional goals from set-plays, as they've recorded three less than last season, similar to Nottingham Forest, although this could be because of the change in style they have tried to implement.
League-Wide Trends
Six clubs – Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, Newcastle, Spurs and West Ham – have been this term's top trend-setters by netting less goals from open play and increased from set-pieces, while City stand as the sole team to defy the pattern to date by achieving the exact opposite.
It remains to be seen to watch if clubs carry on to depend greatly on set-plays as matches continue or if they find again their general attacking flair and start scoring additional scores in open-play as well.
